Historic decision: Israel approves 22 new communities in Judea and Samaria

In a landmark decision led by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, Israel's Diplomatic-Security Cabinet has approved a historic decision to establish 22 new Jewish communities throughout Judea and Samaria.

The move is expected to change the face of the area and shape the future of the settlements for decades to come.

Among the most significant aspects of the decision is the historic return to Homesh and Sa-Nur, effectively implementing the repeal of the Disengagement Law in northern Samaria. This clears the path for the reestablishment of Jewish communities in these locations — a move which corrects a historical injustice and reaffirming the Jewish people's rights to their land.

The plan also includes the establishment of four new communities along the eastern border with Jordan, reinforcing Israel's strategic presence and national security along its frontier.

The new communities are founded as part of a long-term strategic vision aimed at bolstering Israeli control on the ground, blocking the creation of a Palestinian state, and ensuring the continued growth of the settlements in the decades to come.

Defense Minister Israel Katz declared: “This historic decision to establish 22 new communities in Judea and Samaria strengthens our hold on the land, anchors our historical right to the Land of Israel, and delivers a crushing answer to Palestinian terrorism aimed at harming the settlements and weakening them.”

He added: “Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria serves as a vital security barrier for Israel’s major population centers. We must do everything in our power to expand and reinforce this protective shield. The decision we made today is not just about strengthening the settlements on the State's eastern border — it’s also a strategic move to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel, and it serves as a buffer zone against our enemies. This is a Zionist, security, and national response — and a clear decision about the future of the Land.”

Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated: “This is a great day for the settlements and an important day for the State of Israel. Through determined leadership and intense work, we have succeeded, with God’s help, in achieving a deep strategic shift, returning the State of Israel to a path of building, Zionism, and vision. Settlement in our ancestral homeland is Israel’s shield wall; today we took a giant step toward strengthening it. The next step — sovereignty!”

Smotrich concluded with a biblical declaration: “We did not take a foreign land, but the inheritance of our forefathers.”